Harvey's Christmas Wish
by Sandilynn Petersen
Summary: When Face and B. A. recruit Murdock to volunteer once a week at the youth center, Murdock does not fit in. That is, he doesn't until he meets a youngster called Harvey. Murdock tries to grant the kid's Christmas wish but needs help from Face to do it.
1. Chapter 1 A Common Love

I do not own the rights to the movie or television show The A Team or its delightful and wonderful characters.

Harvey's Christmas Wish

Chapter 1 A Common Love

"I don't know, Faceman. The kids down at the youth center are tough. They look up to guys like B. A. 'cause he's got muscles. What do I have?" Murdock spread out his hands, palms up, and shrugged.

Murdock had been released into Face's protection for a day trip outside the walls of the VA hospital. The two had made a trip like this twice before to the center where B. A. volunteered. Both times Murdock had found himself sitting in a corner reading comic books all alone while activity swirled around him.

"Oh, don't sell yourself short. You have plenty to offer," Face argued. _I mean, it's not like you don't know how to behave like a kid. _

"I can shoot baskets but it's not what I prefer to do. I can pitch sticks of dynamite but I can't pitch a ball in the strike zone. Most of those kids are into athletics big time. That's just not me. Comic books, TV and flying . . . that's me, and not in that order." Murdock slumped further into the passenger seat. How Face could stand to drive this itty bitty thing with the cramped leg room was beyond him.

"Promise me you'll try to interact. Okay? You need to get out of the hospital once in a while." Face had a good reason for insisting his friend come with him. When Murdock was left for too long in the hospital, he had too much time to think. Thinking led to either flashbacks or strange delusions. Both were frightening alternatives to a day at the youth center.

After Face parked, he led the way through the doors, Murdock slouching along behind him, hands in pockets.

"We're here, B. A. What do you want us to do?" Face tapped B. A. on the shoulder. Right now, the big black man was teaching a teenager with wannabe arm muscles how to punch a heavy bag.

"Hey, man! Good to see you, Face!" B. A. slapped Face on the shoulder, a move that made the Lieutenant wince. "Where's Murdock? Ain't he comin'?"

"He was right behind . . . oh, there he is! Over there, looking at what that kid's making."

B. A. frowned and shook his head. "Don' know if he's gonna find much to do with Harvey there. All t' kid wants to do when he gets here is make paper airplanes and put together models. Doesn't say anythin' at all. The other kids avoid him."

Face glanced over to Murdock and the kid. Harvey was beginning to look frustrated with a part he was trying to glue on to the model. He noticed Murdock start to reach out his hand to correct something the kid was doing. Just as quickly he pulled back as if not sure he should help.

B. A. shook his head again and turned back to the teen he had been training.

Face, too, found himself having to shift his focus away from Murdock and Harvey as a young boy bouncing a basketball challenged him to a game of H. O. R. S. E.

"I . . . I think you might have better luck," Murdock began, " if you try attaching the skids to the fuselage a different way." The pilot sat down across from Harvey and nodded toward the plastic model of the helicopter. "That's a beauty. A UH-1D Huey, isn't it?"

The kid blinked at him. "How'd you know that?" He slid the model across the table toward Murdock.

"Oh, let's see. Because, you see how large the cargo doors are? And here, the birds before the 1D had smaller fuselages and rotors with a smaller diameter. 'Course you don't have the door guns or rocket launchers, stuff like that, but this is pretty good." Murdock pointed at the box. "That's what it looks like in real life."

"You just read what it is off the box, didn't you?"

_The kid sounds real disappointed. I wonder if it would be wrong if I told him I flew 'em. _

"Well, yeah. I can read. But I flew 'em, too."

"Once I saw a helicopter up close. It landed at our county fair when we lived in Texas. Never got to ride in it. Rides were awfully expensive."

The pilot saw the kid's downcast eyes, heard the longing in his voice, remembered when he was young before he was able to do his first stint as a crop duster pilot.

"You would've loved it. Up in the air, looking down on the people below, flying with the birds and clouds. Thinkin' if you could fly high enough you could touch the sun in the sky."

"Do you have a plane of your own? That you fly?" Murdock caught the kid's eager tone and was suddenly sad that he no longer had his pilot's license. What was it B. A. often said? They don't let crazy fools fly.

"No. No, too expensive. But I used to fly a lot of things. Choppers, crop dusters, F-100 Thunderchiefs . . ."

"That's what the Thunderbirds used to fly. Were you one of them?"

Now it was Murdock's turn to ask, "How'd you know that?"

"I have a whole pile of books about aircraft and air battles. I want to be a pilot when I grow up." The kid's enthusiasm was infectious. The pilot had to grin despite himself. He sure was glad Face didn't leave him back at the VA hospital like he'd begged.

"My name's Harvey. What's yours?"

"I'm H. M. Before you ask, that's my name. Guess my folks thought it was a way to save money, giving me initials instead of a full-fledged name."

Harvey surveyed Murdock's face for a second. "You know what? I think I'll call you Captain. It seems to fit." And Murdock and Harvey went back to work on the helicopter model.


	2. Chapter 2 The Second Visit

Harvey's Christmas Wish

Chapter 2 The Second Visit

Even as Face parked the Corvette, Murdock worked to unbuckle the seat belt. Stretching his lank frame, Murdock stood on the seat and jumped out.

"Hey, buddy, some respect for the upholstery, please!" Face couldn't believe the eagerness Murdock had shown that morning when he arrived at the hospital to take him to the youth center. What a difference from the previous week!

Face smiled. He was happy to see Murdock almost giddy with joy. His friend hadn't even introduced a new persona on the trip to the center.

_Maybe this is progress. Maybe someday we'll have Murdock here on the outside with us again. Where he belongs, with his family._

Face quickened his steps to get to the door Murdock had swept through. As his eyes adjusted to the light, the conman spied his friend already beating a path through swirling activity to a kid sitting at a table reading a book.

Face scrutinized the kid from a distance. Skinny, wearing clothes maybe two sizes too big, brown hair, too thin face, serious expression.

He could have been a ten-year-old version of Murdock if not for the dark smudges under the eyes like the kid didn't sleep well at night.

The boy glanced up from his book and a wide grin burst out across his face. The smile was even like Murdock's.

"Hey, Face." B. A. paused beside the Lieutenant, on his way to put away a basketball and a jump rope. "I see Murdock's connected with Harvey again. It's good for the boy. I seen a change in him, a good change. Hope he can keep it up, whatever he's doin'."

_I do, too. For Murdock's good as well. _Face reflected on the sight of Murdock and Harvey together before being asked to help with juice and sandwiches by a pretty brunette with a dazzling smile.

"So what are you doin' today? I see they put the Huey behind glass." Murdock smiled and nodded toward the case where the model they had completed was displayed front and center.

"B. A. was real proud of what we did, Captain. He put it in there as soon as you left last week." Harvey looked down at his book and added, "I brought this from home. It has a bunch of airplanes and aircraft in it. I thought maybe you could show me what you've flown."

Murdock's heart stirred with old memories as he moved to a folding chair right next to the boy. _What haven't I flown? _

"What about this one, Captain? It's World War II but have you ever flown one?"

The Captain slipped his arm around the boy's thin shoulders to help him hold the book. Harvey pointed to a picture of a BT-13 Valiant basic trainer and gazed up into the pilot's amused brown eyes.

"The Voltee Vibrator? Yeah, once. Don't know if I'd ever fly one again if given the opportunity." He thought back to the mission and chuckled.

He was sure glad B. A. was asleep _that _time when the two of them made their escape. He would've _killed_ Face for scamming that plane. Then the Big Guy would've killed ol' Murdock for good measure.

He glanced down to his side, noticed with a jolt that the kid's eyes were brown like his. Then he realized Harvey was expecting a story.

"Well, there aren't too many of those around anymore, you know. And I made sure there was one less to fly." With that, Murdock launched into a carefully worded version of the flight and crash of the BT-13.


	3. Chapter 3 Surprises Both Good and Bad

Harvey's Christmas Wish

Chapter 3 Surprises, Good and Bad

"I'm serious, Faceman. You gotta do this. Please. I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

Face stared at Murdock and shook his head. "Why can't you get your nurse friend Donna to get it for you?"

Exasperation passed over the pilot's face. He pointed an angry finger at his friend and jabbed it, punctuating his words. "You know better than that. Girls don't know how to _find_ that sort of thing." Murdock stuffed his hands in his pockets and scowled down at one of his tennis shoes. "'Sides, I don't _wanna_ make Donna pay for this. She's special. I wanna buy _her_ stuff, not the other way 'round."

Face sighed. He suspected Murdock was drawing closer to Donna with every passing week. It could endanger their cover. But for now, the pilot was focused on getting a particular model for that kid Harvey and he wasn't going to take "no" for an answer.

"But why be that specific? Wouldn't any model of a plane do?"

Murdock gave him one of those sad, this-is-what-buddies-do-for-each-other looks and Face felt his resolve slipping.

"Okay already! It's not my thing either but if you and the kid'll be happy . . ." Face could tell by the pilot's spontaneous beaming grin that they would.

A few days later, parked outside the youth center, Murdock struggled with the comics section of the daily newspaper, trying to wrap a box. "Couldya give me a hand here? I shoulda asked Donna to help me but she isn't on duty 'til tonight . . . c'mon, buddy! It's the least you can do, makin' me wait until the last minute to do this."

"Well, it wasn't that easy to find, you know." The Lieutenant stuck one finger on an edge while Murdock taped it.

The pilot gazed at him. "You think he'll like it? I mean, really _like _it? After I told him the story about B. A. and me and that plane crash, I thought he might like to put a model of one together. At least, the tail won't come off this one. Not like the real thing."

"He'll like it just fine." Murdock seemed pleased with Face's answer and tucked the clumsily wrapped box under his bomber jacket.

"I want it to be a surprise," he explained as he held the door open for Face and closed it behind them. Murdock spied Harvey in their usual spot and left his friend immediately to present his gift.

"Face. Getya alone for a second?" B. A. had been waiting for his friends to appear.

The bejewelled black man was uncomfortable about something. Face could sense whatever the reason, the explanation involved Murdock and Harvey and something painful.

"Sure." B. A. led the Lieutenant to a quieter area of the big rec room. "Now what's up?"

"Don't know how to break it to Murdock. Mebbe you can better'n me. The kid's goin' in for some chemo next week."

Face ran his hand through his hair, an unconscious gesture of concern. "Does the kid know?"

B. A. gave one solemn nod. "He don't know how serious, though. His momma tol' me when she dropped him off." The big man frowned over to where Harvey was giving Murdock a hug, the unwrapped box clutched in one hand. Murdock tensed in surprise and then relaxed and hugged the kid back. "If I'da known, man . . . "

"You would have done what? Kept them from meeting? B. A., we don't _know_ what the future will be. Let's let them help each other through this for a while before we have to cross those bridges. Okay? I'll know when it's time to tell him."

B. A. nodded, glanced once more at the pair as they opened the model of the BT-13 Valiant and searched for the first pieces to glue together. "Do that, Faceman. I can't." The last two words were almost a despairing whisper. His shoulders slouched in wearied sadness as he left to answer a parent's question.

Face watched Murdock and Harvey. Animated talk lit their faces with a warmth and closeness the Lieutenant knew Murdock reserved for only a few people. Most got to see his silly side; few saw the potential for love and compassion the man embodied.

_It's going to be like telling him Hannibal doesn't want him to ever come on another mission. This might destroy him._


	4. Chapter 4 A Little White Lie

Harvey's Christmas Wish

Chapter 4 A Little White Lie

"Whaddya mean we aren't goin' this week?" Murdock was dumbstruck when Face announced the change in plans. "Harvey's expecting me."

"Well . . . no . . . he's not, Murdock. He's . . ." Face gazed at his friend's puzzled, almost hurt, expression and decided a little lie was better than the truth for now. "He's out Christmas shopping with his mother."

The pilot sighed. "I bet he's bored silly right now, bein' dragged from one store to another."

"Listen. B. A. said there wasn't a whole lot of things to do down there today. Why don't we take the opportunity and go Christmas shopping ourselves? You can buy Donna something nice and try to find a gift for Harvey, too." Face smiled.

"Really, Faceman? I'd sure appreciate that. You won't drag me from store to store, will you?"

Four hours and six stores later, with no gifts in the trunk of the Corvette, Face was almost sorry he had suggested Christmas shopping. Murdock seemed totally clueless to the things a woman like the desk nurse Donna would enjoy.

Faceman nixed the desk calendar idea. Too impersonal and it had monthly photos of airplanes on landing fields. Not what a woman would ooh and aah over. Maybe a kid like Harvey, but not a woman like Donna.

Likewise the T-shirt that read "You're the best figment my imagination ever had." What the heck was _that_ supposed to mean anyway? Face thought they needed to get the focus off mental health topics.

It was also no to the white fluffy teddy bear that looked a little too much like Bogey the Bear, one of Murdock's fixations during a past mission. Unless Murdock knew for certain the woman had a collection of stuffed animals, it wasn't something Face would have even considered. Lingerie, maybe. Not a teddy bear.

"Let's go in here next. Please? Please, Faceman?" Murdock was eyeing the music store.

"Do you know what kind of music she likes?"

"Kinda." Murdock led the way past the popular, classical, folk and country music bins to the dance records.

He began digging through the LPs, getting impatient when all he could find was disco. "Don't they have anything besides this stuff? You can't dance close with this stuff."

"Can I help you look? What exactly _are_ you looking for?" Face was encouraged that Murdock had a plan in mind after all these hours. The mention of dancing close had not escaped his attention either.

"Found it! She's gonna love this!" The pilot held up an LP that must have been a holdover from several Christmases. Two or three stickers, each placed over the top of the first, showed the dwindling value of the record.

"Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in _Shall We Dance? _Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?" The Lieutenant frowned. "She doesn't like chocolate?"

"Doesn't touch it. She's ninto health foods."

"Perfume?"

"She can't wear it on the ward. They don't let her."

"Flowers?"

Murdock raised one eyebrow. "Plastic or silk won't cut it and real flowers die too quick. I know you're tryin' to help, buddy, but I know what I know."

At the words "real flowers die too quick" Face flinched.

Murdock hadn't noticed. He was too happy over the purchase he was even now bringing to the front counter.

The Lieutenant regained his composure but the statement reminded him of the information he was keeping from his friend. He had been dishonest in many situations where he had to scam supplies. He had to be good at it. It was part of what made him a successful conman during missions. This time it caused a deep pain in his soul.

Murdock clutched the vinyl record in its brown paper bag to his chest as Face and he left the store.

"Now for Harvey's gift. It's somethin' I've been thinkin' about all day, Faceman, and I'm gonna need your help deliverin' it in time for Christmas. It's nothin' we need to wrap, don't worry."

_Murdock's so happy about the gift he wants to give the kid. So why do I get the feeling it's a little bigger deal than a model kit from a store?_


	5. Chapter 5 Father Figure

Harvey's Christmas Wish

Chapter 5 Father Figure

Face held Murdock back at the door to the youth center. "I don't want you to be alarmed when you see Harvey today. B. A. said the kid was feeling a little under the weather most of last week. He may look like crap."

"What was it? The flu?" The Captain's expression was one of deep concern.

Face shrugged his shoulders. "Could have been anything. You know kids. They pick up germs from everywhere." _Another white lie, but it can't be helped. _

Murdock's eyes were misty. "I sure missed bein' with him last week. I mean, he speaks the same _language_ as me. I didn't know how much I missed talking about flying to someone who's interested, who wants to know, really _know_ what it's like."

The Lieutenant wondered how many times Murdock had longed for one of his team to listen when he talked about the feelings he got when he was piloting them somewhere on a mission. They took for granted he would fulfill his responsibility, nothing more, nothing less. Just a gear in the well-oiled machinery that made the team work so well together.

_It isn't just a responsibility to him. It's a passion. It's what makes him damned good at what he does._

"B. A. asked me to tell you that he appreciates what you're doing with Harvey."

Murdock grinned widely. "I think if Harvey keeps it up, well, maybe he'll be a great pilot someday. I'll be proud of him when he gets his wings."

Face realized with a pang that the pilot was becoming so close to Harvey that he had almost a fatherlike care for the boy's present as well as his future. _He'd make a damned fine father, too. As if I know what that looks like._

"Yeah, well, I guess we'd better get in there."

Face and B. A. watched with concern as Murdock went to the table where Harvey was reading. In Face's opinion, Harvey looked better than he would have thought possible after the chemo treatment.

Murdock was frowning as he sat down beside the boy. He cupped Harvey's chin in one hand and looked him in the eyes, noted the dark circles and pale skin.

"I heard you were sick last week. Look, we don't have to do anythin' you don't want to do, buddy. Just give the word."

_Whatever the kid had last week must've been tough goin'. Sure hope I can help him feel better._

"Can you tell me more about what kind of helicopters you've flown? Can you fly a helicopter upside down? I heard you can't." Harvey nestled in toward Murdock and moved the aviation book closer.

The Captain put his arm around the kid's shoulders, noticed again how thin and fragile Harvey was. He gave the boy a tentative sideways hug before answering.

"Well, it isn't one of those things you're asked to do. The bird doesn't take kindly to having its skids topsy-turvy."

"Have _you_ done it? I bet you have, Captain." The boy's eyes reflected his admiration for his pilot hero.

_Have I done it? What do I tell the kid about Nam, the maniac things I did to stay alive or keep the unit safe? Or to keep myself functioning? Do I want to relive that stuff?_

"Like I said, it's not something you're _supposed_ to do but I guess I always figure I gotta try everything at least once." Murdock grimaced as he said it, remembering how close the bird had come to being a scattered bunch of blades, twisted metal and bolts.

"Tell me about it. Please, Captain?" Harvey's eyes were gleaming with the prospect of another wonderful story.

Murdock gave him an indulgent smile and began.

_Sure, Harvey. Anything to make your day._


	6. Chapter 6 Murdock's Request

Harvey's Christmas Wish

Chapter 6 Murdock's Request

"Negatory, buddy. It can't be a commercial chopper. It's gotta be a stunt birdie." Murdock shook his head and glanced at Face. "After all, you don't want me to crash it, do ya?"

"I don't know if I can scam something like that. And this close to Christmas, it may be difficult." The conman hoped his friend would opt for something less.

Like maybe a drive in a stretch limo or a flight in a rental crop duster. He had his doubts about why Murdock even needed an hour or two with such an aircraft.

_Unless . . ._

"Uh, Murdock, this wouldn't have anything to do with Harvey, would it?" Face ran his hand along his chin, gauging his friend's reaction.

A guilty but mischievous smirk confirmed Face's suspicion. "You won't tell him, will you? It's his Christmas gift." The pilot's tone was gleeful.

_Well . . . If Murdock wants to put on a little air show type demonstration for the kid . . . maybe it'll be alright. He knows how to handle helicopters as well as I know how to handle women. Or a scam._

Murdock was staring at him, fidgeting, waiting for a promise to secrecy.

"Yeah, okay. I won't tell." The Lieutenant gave in.

"You can't tell Donna, Hannibal, B. A. and 'specially not Harvey. Raise your right hand and swear to it." Murdock raised his hand and glared at Face until he complied. "Say it."

"I swear I will not tell anybody else that I'm scamming a stunt helicopter for you." Face sighed deeply and lowered his hand.

Murdock grinned and slapped Face on the shoulder. "There, now _that_ wasn't too hard, was it?"

The Lieutenant wondered if now was the best time to tell the pilot the truth about his young friend. His reverie was broken by Murdock's impatience.

"We gotta get over to the youth center now. Harvey and me, we're gonna read my Blackhawks comic books. He's never heard of the Blackhawks. Can you believe that?" The pilot shook his head in disbelief. He gripped a brown paper bag of nine vintage 60s comics. "He'll love these."

As soon as they came in the door, Face saw the kid was not looking better. If nothing else, the circles under his eyes had darkened and he had grown perceptibly thinner. The kid sported a patchy buzz haircut, probably to offset the hair loss that came with chemo. The flash of a smile he gave Murdock as he approached seemed too large for his face.

The Lieutenant knew his friend was not blind to the change.

The pilot tossed the paper bag with his vintage comics on the table and sat, his body and face turned toward the kid. Face saw Murdock touch the kid's balding head and ask Harvey something.

Then his friend enveloped Harvey in a tight embrace. Burying his face in the pilot's shoulder, the kid wrapped his skinny arms around his neck and sobbed. It was then Face knew he would not have to tell Murdock anything.

_The kid knows. And now Murdock does, too._

The pilot drew back, a glassy look to his eyes, and scanned the room for B. A. Face chided himself for his lies and procrastination.

_Friends don't keep secrets, especially ones which hurt even worse when finally revealed. _

He wondered if Murdock would ever fully forgive him. Would he be able to forgive himself?

AN: The Blackhawks were a fictional World War II squadron of pilots which appeared in their own comic book series from 1941 to 1984.


	7. Chapter 7 Why Not Hope?

Harvey's Christmas Wish

Chapter 7 Why Not Hope

Murdock's heart had become like ice inside his chest. He glared at Face from his side of the room, willing him to stay away.

Harvey was spent, his energy gone. He drooped in the Captain's arms, a comic book open in his hands, his eyes closed in sleep.

He caught Face occasionally stealing a guilt-ridden glance their way.

_Let him. I got no time to invest in friends who think I'm so unstable they have to keep things from me._

B. A. was treading cautiously around the pilot, too. "Face's your brother, man. He got your back on this. You just too crazy to see it. Murdock, man, ya gotta let it go," B. A. had told him, one huge hand on his shoulder.

_How do you let somethin' like this go? This kid may not live through Christmas. All the plans I made, for what?_

His friend had known, did not warn him about getting too close. Was his anger irrational? Yeah, maybe. Was he just pinning the unfairness on Face? Yeah, maybe, but how do you yell at cancer? It was invisible and unfair.

Hannibal, who rarely volunteered at the center because of his acting commitments, was making his way over to Murdock. For once, the Colonel did not have a lit cigar with him.

_Of course, B. A. called Hannibal. Told him I needed some fatherly advice, let him know I wasn't coping. Well, who would? Who WOULD?_

"Kid looks wiped out." The Colonel sat across the table and gestured with a motion of his head.

Murdock clenched his teeth and nodded once.

"Face told me you had plans for Christmas."

The Captain snorted and whispered harshly, "Not that those plans make any difference now."

"Why don't they?" Hannibal's words, so calm and matter-of-fact, were accompanied by a steely blue gaze.

Murdock shook his head. A bitter smile twisted his mouth. "Harvey doesn't have the strength for the surprise I planned for him and me."

"Why don't you let him decide that? Face told me you wanted a stunt helicopter. Tell me about it."

"The kid's never been in the air. He wants to fly. All he knows is what he's read and what I told him. I don't know. Maybe I'm just bein' selfish." The pilot sighed softly and bowed his head over that of the sleeping boy.

"Fair enough, but I don't see a problem with your request, Captain."

"It depends on Face scammin' a stunt chopper for me. Right now, that may not happen."

"Because of him or because of you? I've never known you to give up on something. The boy needs a hero who won't give up hope. Are you that man?"

Hannibal saw the flash of anger in the Captain's eyes give way to reflection.

"Maybe. Maybe I am. I don't know, Colonel." Murdock wearily drew his hand across his eyes.

"It's the season of hope. It's too easy to forget that. Don't lose your hope, Captain."

Hannibal let the words hang in the silence between them for a few moments. He knew Murdock was thinking about what he said, considering the possibility of Harvey's healing.

"Now, Captain, we need to get the Lieutenant to work on getting that bird for you and the kid."


	8. Chapter 8 Flight of Captain Phoenix

Harvey's Christmas Wish

Chapter 8 Flight of Captain Phoenix

The bird, all red and silver striped, was waiting on the small landing pad. As B. A. parked the van close to the hangar, Harvey's mouth dropped open at the sight of her.

"Do I get to see her up close, Captain? Can I sit in her?" The boy squeezed between the van's front seats to get a closer look. Hannibal glanced at Face and smiled, gave him a thumbs up for a job well done.

"You got a million questions, don't you? Well, if you want a better view, let's go." Murdock opened the van door and lifted Harvey out.

He took a blue baseball cap, a smaller version of his own, from a shopping bag and fit it on the boy's head. "Now if we're going to go fly a mission we'll need cool nicknames. I'll be Captain Phoenix but what do you want to call yourself?" He knelt in front of Harvey, hands on the kid's shoulders. "Got any ideas?"

B. A. rolled his eyes upon hearing the name Captain Phoenix. _Not another fool disguise. Man can't ever be himself. _

"I'll be Lieutenant Spitfire, if that's okay."

Murdock's smile grew. He stood up and held out his hand. Side by side, hand in hand, they walked out to the chopper, kicking up dust as they went. The pilot led the kid around the bird, pointing out the tail rotor, the swash plate, stabilizer bar and other external parts.

"Who knew Murdock could be such a great father figure?" Hannibal mused, a fresh cigar unlit in his gloved hand. B. A. shook his head and smiled despite himself.

"You made sure the helicopter had enough fuel. Right, Face?"

"Exactly as much as Murdock said he needed. They should have no problems."

B. A. grunted. "Hope t' little brother don't get air sick. An' that fool better bring Harvey back in one piece."

Murdock knelt again in front of Harvey. "Now, Lieutenant Spitfire, how would you like to go for a ride? If you don't get sick on me, we'll try out that upside down move. Maybe we'll see if we can catch the sun or a cloud."

Harvey beamed his approval and allowed himself to be lifted into the chopper and belted into the copilot's seat. Murdock produced a pair of headphones and fit them over the boy's ears. He stood back to admire the total effect. With two thumbs up, he jogged around to the pilot's side and climbed up.

"Well, there they go, Hannibal," B. A. muttered as the rotor and tail rotors began rotating faster and faster. The chopper lifted off and spun around once in a half arc before angling off toward some distant hills.

"How are we doing, Lieutenant Spitfire?" Murdock glanced over at Harvey.

"A-OK, Captain Phoenix!" The boy was gazing up into the azure sky, watching for clouds.

The pilot grinned. "This is my favorite place to be. Up here it's so peaceful. No traffic jams. No people telling you that you're crazy. I think you could almost reach heaven from here."

Harvey nodded, his attention focused first on the ground racing below them and then on the sky spreading out around them.

Murdock found a river meandering between towering pines and took the chopper down. He skimmed the surface of the water with the skids, then climbed above the trees, rolling the fuselage from side to side.

"Just like a roller coaster ride. Wanna find a cloud to spear?" The pilot was enjoying the awestruck look on Harvey's face. Neither of them wanted to return to the helipad.

After about an hour of swoops, dives and arcs Murdock headed back toward home.

"Captain Phoenix, what about flying upside down? You haven't done that yet." Harvey was looking tired but Murdock knew he had to perform the requested stunt for the kid to make the Christmas gift memorable.

"Okey doke, Lieutenant Spitfire. Hang on." Murdock manipulated the collective and cyclic to cause the chopper to roll over before coming out of the barrel roll a few seconds later. "Yahoooo! How was that?"

"This was the best Christmas gift you could have given me, Captain!"

"And now, one last stunt. We have to get way up in the air for this one. Hold onto your socks. We're gonna do a death spiral and see what B. A. says once we land."

The chopper climbed and at its highest began spiraling downward toward the helipad.

"Hannibal! What's that fool doin'? This wasn't part of the plan!" Even Face felt a little sick wondering if the helicopter was going to crash or pull out of its spiral just in time.

Murdock pulled up, made one more lazy arc and landed gently.

"That was incredible, Captain Phoenix!" Murdock shut down the switches and buttons and turned to his passenger. The kid's face was pinched and weary but radiant with happiness.

"Merry Christmas, Harvey! Someday you'll be doing this, too." Murdock swallowed and tried to smile.

AN: I chose the nickname Captain Phoenix because of the legend of the mythical bird that rises from its own ashes to live again. Seemed appropriate for Murdock. The Spitfire was a British WWII fighter plane which was used throughout the war and into the 50s.


	9. Chapter 9 Murdock's Christmas

Harvey's Christmas Wish

Chapter 9 Murdock's Christmas

Christmas Day.

The youth center was closed for the holiday and Murdock wondered how Harvey would be celebrating the day.

Celebrating? The boy was in the hospital now for his second round of chemotherapy. A week ago, Harvey described to him what the first treatment was like and how the side effects made him feel.

Murdock wished he could have taken the cell-killing chemicals himself and spared the boy. He would have taken on the _cancer_ himself if Harvey's life would be saved. The pilot brooded at the window, staring vacantly out at the empty hospital grounds. His hands clenched and unclenched as he thought about the unfairness of life.

_But he's a fighter. If I could, I'd give Harvey a medal of valor for what he goes through. I wish I could be there for him now. _

He made a conscious effort to not think about the nausea and vomiting and the kid's weakness from fighting the cancer. Was Hannibal right? Was there hope for Harvey?

Murdock knew Face and B. A. would be celebrating the day with Hannibal. It was too much for him to expect they would try to spring him. Their conversation and friendship would have prevented this gnawing sadness and hopelessness from consuming him but they had not planned a Christmas Day with him.

Many families brought their functional veteran relatives home for a Christmas meal but Murdock had no relatives.

_Then again, neither does Donna._

The Christmas season was usually a lonely time for him. But this year, the angel at the ward desk was there to keep him company. The thought made him smile. He would forget the painful thoughts, even if only for the day.

The halls of his ward were quiet when Murdock stepped out of his room. He wore his tuxedo T shirt and nicest smile. In his hands, he carried a thin square flat gift he had wrapped himself.

"Uh, Miss Donna? Are you busy?" He felt like he was stammering. She looked up at him and her warm smile melted him instantly. "I, uh, bought something for you a while ago." He pushed the gift across the desk countertop, suddenly shy and barely able to gaze into her eyes. "Merry Christmas."

She stood and moved beside him to tear off the newspaper wrapping. "Why, Captain! I didn't know you were an Astaire-Rogers fan, too. 'Shall We Dance?' Is this an invitation?"

He looked down into her eyes and nodded, dumbfounded she understood.

"The day room has a record player. We can listen to it in there as long as I make my rounds when I'm supposed to." She slipped her hand into his and, cradling the LP in her arm, let him lead the way.

He was enjoying the fragrance of her hair and sweeping her in a waltz across the floor when a cough at the door startled both of them. They pulled away from each other as if they were two disobedient children caught doing something they knew was wrong.

_Face! You couldn't have picked a worse time, man. _

"I'm, uh, here to pick up my friend for a late supper at my parent's house. Think I can arrange for an overnight pass?" The Lieutenant had an amused expression as he sized up the situation. Then his smile faded. "I'd like to get him back home as soon as I can. Supper's waiting."

Donna smoothed back her hair and ran her hands down her uniform to straighten it. "Of course. Yes, of course, I can get that done right now."

Murdock stifled a groan.

_This is not fair. _

As Donna left the room Face came close and spoke in a hushed voice. "B. A. thought we should bring you to the hospital to visit Harvey. He's having a rough time and his mother had to work at the nursing home tonight."

Murdock felt a pang of guilt. He had been enjoying himself, trying to forget about Harvey's struggle and here the kid was alone on Christmas Day fighting his own personal battle. With the song "They Can't Take That Away From Me" playing in the background, the pilot moved toward the door. "Let's go, man."

As Face stopped at the desk to sign the papers, Murdock touched Donna lightly on the shoulder. "May I have a rain check, Miss Donna? I'd like to finish our dance later, if we could." He begged her with his eyes.

Her smile was a promise. Relieved, his focus shifted entirely to Harvey as the two friends left the hospital.


	10. Chapter 10 Star of Hope

Harvey's Christmas Wish

Chapter 10 Star of Hope

For the fourth time that evening since arriving at the hospital, Murdock propped Harvey up and held the emesis basin under the kid's chin.

"That's right. Don't hold it in. I gotcha, buddy." His voice was low and soothing even as the boy's violent stomach spasms were at their peak. "There now. Finished?" Harvey nodded weakly and he eased the boy back onto his pillows.

On the television suspended from the ceiling, Ebeneezer Scrooge groused, "Bah, humbug!" Face was napping in a wood-framed armchair nearby. B. A. and Hannibal had gone to find some coffee.

Murdock straightened from his kneeling position and walked to the bathroom. Moments later, a toilet flushed, water ran and he came back with the rinsed basin.

_The kid can't have much more on his stomach. I gotta find something to divert his attention. _

"Did I ever tell you about the time around Christmas I tried to catch a star over in Nam and got a tailful of mortar shot instead? Barely made it back to base camp." The boy's eyes glimmered with interest and he tried to adjust himself higher in the bed.

"Here now. Let me help you." Murdock fluffed a pillow before tucking it under Harvey's back. He perched at the end of the bed, leaning toward Harvey, keeping eye contact and speaking in a low calming voice.

"We were comin' back from a midnight run, droppin' off a squad of five in the Mekong Delta, Vinh Binh province. Thought the job would be a skate, easy in and easy out, no pain, no sweat. I must've been daydreamin', a dangerous thing to do anytime over there."

The night nurse came in on squeaky rubber-soled shoes and checked the IV drip and Harvey's vitals. She raised an eyebrow over Murdock's choice of seating. He smiled apologetically, rose to his feet and returned to his place on the bed after she swept out of the room.

"Then what, Captain Phoenix?"

Murdock grinned at the nickname. "Looked up in the sky and saw stars as far as you could imagine. I even pointed it out to Tracker, my peter pilot. Didn't see too many nights like that where you didn't see red tracers or flashes of ground fire."

"It's hard to see stars when you live in the city, Captain. We used to in Texas all the time. That must've been some sight." The kid had a dreamy grin on his face. The pilot suddenly wished he could let him see a star-filled sky just once more.

_Heck, I'd fly up there and drag down the entire night sky into this room for him if I could. _

"Yeah, I miss not seein' the stars, too. I grew up in Texas like you, you know. I remember what those starry skies look like. Anyway, I was flyin' high enough to almost touch the largest star I could see. Then, it happened."

"What happened?"

"A green flash shot up from the ground, then another and another. I had flown right into an area where Charlie had big guns and they wanted to take my bird outta the sky." The pilot paused in his story, thinking about the terror of those moments, his two crewmen shouting, their faces illuminated by the fireworks around them.

"Were you scared?"

Murdock flinched with the memory. Harvey was waiting for an answer so he nodded. "Who wouldn't be? I felt a jolt and knew one of the shots had hit the fuselage somewhere. I didn't know where. My eyes were trained on that big ol' star and I kept hopin' it would lead me outta there safe. And it did."

He noted with satisfaction that the kid was valiantly trying to keep his eyelids open. "They said my bird shouldn't have been able to make it back as bad as the tail rotor was damaged. But I think focusin' on that big ol' star made the impossible possible."

The kid was asleep, breathing softly, his pale arm with its IV resting across his belly. Murdock watched the boy and thought for a while, his chin cupped in his hand.

Two hours later when Harvey woke with the beginnings of another wave of nausea, Face had taken Murdock's place. The pilot napped in the armchair Face had vacated. Even in rest, his face was haggard from the vigil he had been keeping.

Harvey gazed around the room in amazement. It had been transformed as he slept, and he knew that his Captain Phoenix had worked the magic.

Several small handcut white paper stars were stuck with medical tape and chewing gum to the mirror and walls all around the bed. Hanging underneath the now silent television was a large star made from gold foil Christmas wrapping paper.


	11. Chapter 11 Time Passes

Harvey's Christmas Wish

Chapter 11 Time Passes

Fifteen Years Later

"We'll never get there if you don't hurry it up, Face." Murdock was on the edge of his seat, impatiently drumming his hands against his knees. "He can hold our spot for only fifteen minutes before lettin' someone else have it. Christmas Day is a busy time for him."

Face sighed. He knew how much this trip meant to Murdock. They had lost time when they tried following a local's obscure directions. The large red sandstone formation that looked like a barn had never materialized and they had to backtrack twice to find their way.

"There! Isn't that the turn off?" Murdock straightened up in the passenger seat and gestured at a weathered sign with an arrow pointing to the left.

"'Gila Monster Desert Tours. Harvey Mills, owner, pilot.' Sounds like the right place." Face maneuvered his newly purchased Corvette down the gravel road. He made a mental note to get the car washed as soon as they were finished with their visit and back in civilization.

"Remember, I said you don't have to go up with us if you don't want, Face. The kid 'n' me, we'll be just fine if you want to keep your feet on terra firma."

Face wondered if Murdock was being considerate or trying to dump him so the two pilots could enjoy their flight more. Stunt flying was not Face's idea of fun.

A sedan with a gray-haired driver and a red-headed young boy passed them going in the opposite direction.

Ahead of them, seeming to appear out of nowhere, a steel framed building rose from the desert. A blue and gold helicopter sat beside it, its rotors still lazily spinning from a previous flight. A large gold star was painted on its tail assembly.

Murdock was already unbuckling his seat belt. The past fifteen years had not dulled his childlike enthusiasm. He swung his long thin legs over the side of the sports car and set off at a brisk pace toward the tour office. Face trailed behind.

A brown-haired youngster greeted them at the door and yelled to someone over his shoulder. "Dad, you've got company."

The pilot bent and reached out a hand. "My name is H. M. Murdock and this is my friend, Mr. Peck. He goes by the nickname Face. I believe your Dad was going to take me up in the chopper today."

The small boy smiled and stuck out a grease-smudged hand. "My name's Sam but my Dad calls me Bosco. Said it reminds him of someone he knew when he was growing up."

Murdock smirked and glanced at Face. "Yeah, Bosco was a youth center volunteer. Your Dad was one of the kids we worked with. Bosco's a good buddy of mine, only don't let him hear that. He's quite a guy and it's a real compliment having that as a nickname."

"Captain Phoenix! I'm so glad you found us." A tall thin man dressed in dark blue coveralls and a matching baseball cap came up behind the boy. He reached down and picked up his son, giving Murdock a one-armed hug. "Good. You've met Sam. He's my second pair of hands when it comes to working on the bird over there. Someday he'll be a better pilot than me."

"I know someone else I said that about a long time ago. How ya been, Lieutenant Spitfire? Been a while since we were up in the air together. I'm lookin' forward to seein' what you're able to do." Murdock's countenance was alight with joy and anticipation.

Harvey hoisted the youngster to a better position. "Captain Murdock here taught me almost every move you've seen me do, Sam. We practiced every other weekend until I was able to get my pilot's license. I owe him a lot."

Face knew he was an intruder, mumbled something about waiting in the car and turned to leave.

The Captain gripped Face's arm, gestured for him to stay. "And through Mr. Peck's efforts, we always had a bird to use. He's my best buddy and one of the finest wheeler-dealers I know. This visit is his Christmas present to me."

Harvey lifted his eyebrows and gazed at Face, then shook his hand. "And for that gift, I'm thankful." He put his son down and gestured for Murdock to follow him to the chopper.

"Remember the gold star? You said it was a symbol of hope. You taught me to fly but more important you taught me not to lose hope. If not for that, I may not have had any more merry Christmases." Harvey stood with his hand on Murdock's shoulder, both men staring at the blue and gold chopper with its star emblem, remembering. "Merry Christmas, Captain Phoenix."

Murdock nodded and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Lieutenant Spitfire."


End file.
